Day Fifteen – Picking up the Pace

Day Fifteen – Picking up the Pace

Daily Brief

Kregg finished his leg to Seattle and we picked up Bob Garff (Shaun’s Dad) and Jenni Skeen joined us for a day. Swiftly moving through back roads, we experienced perfect weather and found that our pace quickened.

The Ride

Kregg was done riding with us so we said our goodbyes this morning. He will be missed as will his tactful compliments that helped lift the team from time to time. We wish him a safe flight home to Utah. At the Seattle temple Jenni Skeen joined us. She had heard about the trek from a friend. We’re really glad she joined us because she knew how to get to the city on bike trails and not on the highway. We started at the LDS Seattle temple and Jenni led us to peer 52 where we were going to take the ferry. The bike route was fun and we saw more cyclists on the route then we’ve seen the entire 1,000 previous miles combined. We all resisted the temptation to burn out and show them up.

At peer 52, Bob Garff (Shaun Garff’s father), joined us. He’s riding with us from here down until Lafayette CA, and maybe a little further as well. Between Bob and Jenni, we actually started picking up the pace. Bob’s used to biking with cyclists who race, which explains why he was able to push forward so well. Jenni was just a powerhouse. Unafraid to jump in with 5 other guys and lead the way, she was often found in the front allowing us to draft her.

Cruising on the back roads of Washington, the ride was hilly – but enjoyably so. The hills were just that, hills. We weren’t trekking up mountains or 1,000 feet climbs, it was just gently rolling hills. With our pace quickened, the police officer clocked us at 16 MPH, and that was about our average speed. We made it into Elma, WA with time to spare. It was then that we said our goodbye’s to Jenni and checked into a local hotel. We ate dinner at The Rusty Tractor and went back to the hotel to get some rest for tomorrow.

Daily Stats

Distance: 82.15
Time: 5:31
Avg. Speed: 14.9
Max Speed: 33.2

Total Distance: 1038.38

P & C Pushups: 210